Roman blinds are a common and popular type of blind. The roman blind generally consists of a substantially flat sheet of fabric which is mounted to a plurality of parallel horizontal bars suspended from at least one pair of suspension cords. The fabric is arranged in a series of horizontal folds with the bars providing structural support for the folds of fabric. The suspension cords are suspended from a head assembly, which controls the lifting and lowering of the suspension cords. Lifting or lowering the suspension cords causes the bars to lift and lower, thereby drawing up the fabric screen or lowering it.
Mounting the suspension bars to the fabric screen and to the suspension cords is an important and often time consuming step in assembling roman blinds. Traditionally, the suspension bars were contained in sleeves sewn into the fabric screen. More recently, designs have been introduced which include a bracket for mounting the suspension bars to the fabric screen. These brackets often include a hollow C shaped tube made of a flexible material, such as plastic. The C shaped tube has a cavity dimensioned to fit tightly over the suspension bar. To mount the fabric screen to the suspension bar, the fabric is first folded over the suspension bar and then the fabric wrapped bar is forced into the cavity of the C shaped mounting bracket. The mounting bracket grasps the suspension bar tightly, thereby securing the suspension bar to the fabric screen. The fabric is firmly held between the C shaped tube and the suspension bar. The mounting bracket may then be attached to the suspension cord. However, mounting the bracket to the suspension cord is still a time consuming operation. Therefore, an improved roman blind assembly which simplifies the procedure for mounting the bars to the suspension cords is still required.